Rector calls for release of detained students, others

Rector of the Federal Polytechnic, Ado Ekiti, Dr Theresa Akande, has appealed to the State Commissioner of Police (CP), Mr Frederick Lakanu, to release some students and residents of the Erinfun Community arrested during Saturday’s protest against month old power outage and lack of portable water.

The Rector joined by the Institution’s students’ body had absolved the students of complicity in the unrest which halted commercial activities and vehicular movements for nearly two hours around Erifun.

It would be recalled that purported students of the School numbering almost a hundred had on Saturday massed on the Ado-Ijan Ekiti main road as early as 7 am and, joined by residents around the area, barricaded the road and halted vehicular movements for nearly two hours.

Although no life was reported lost, it took the intervention of anti-riot police squad to disperse the protesters and free the road for an almost one kilometre line up of captive motorists on both sides of the road, a development which led to the arrest of nearly forty students and members of the Erinfun community populated mainly by the Ebira.

At a press conference in Ado-Ekiti, capital of the state jointly addressed yesterday by Dr. Akande and the President, Students’ Union Government of the institution, Mr Ajibola Oladapo, explained many innocent students and staff of the Polytechnic were arrested and detained by the police during what they called “An indiscriminate arrest”.

Akande lamented the influx of miscreants into the Erinfun community which had allegedly heightened insecurity around the area.

Dr. Akande said: “Some of the students who were dismissed from other schools had been settling there and this made it to look as if our students were involved. Those who partook in the protest were majorly miscreants from other schools and residents in the Ebira Community.”

On the alleged attack on Aare Afe, Ajibola had said: “As peace-loving students, we are particularly appalled at such acts of barbarism, especially against a revered personality like Chief Afe Babalola’ status. It is worthy to note that the management of this institution, which also suffers from the same fate, have been doing all that is humanly possible to provide basic amenities on the polytechnic campus.

“We deeply appreciate this and thus we had no cause to complain of lack of power supply or water or go on demonstration over same”, he said.

Ajibola equally appreciated the police for their efforts in bringing the development under control, urging them to order the release of students and other persons wrongly arrested during protest.